~#nomakeup

I'm not really doing the #nomakeup thing and I applaud Alicia Keys for being 
so secure in not wearing make-up (she is such a natural beauty) but here in 
Cambodia where Khmer people don't wear make-up and I usually only see my American friends on Sunday, I have been embracing the #nomakeup idea.

   

 I actually didn't know who Alicia Keys was until last week when I was 

watching "The Voice".  When I first saw her I just looked at her and 

thought she was this beautiful, cool, free-spirited throwback from the 70's.  

I was curious to hear her voice, as I was already familiar with the other 

judges voices, so I looked her up on the Internet and I was like, 

"Oh My Goodness, She is GORGEOUS!"

  

What I love about this (and all the before and after shots of celebrity's 

without makeup) is that it helps me, when I am feeling down about 

myself, to realize that natural beauty really is beautiful and that the 

beauty from within shines through our personality's much stronger 

than our outside beauty, each and every day.  I have had so many 

friends that were older than me who embraced life and loved who 

they were that I always looked forward to aging instead of fearing it.  

When I was in my early 20's and we lived in Las Vegas, I was in the 

Stake Young Women's Presidency with these 2 women, ages 40 

and 60; they were such great role models to me.  They were both 

beautiful women but their real beauty came from within.  I admired 

them and by watching them age so gracefully it made me see how each 

season of our life is one to anticipate rather than have an aversion towards.

     

Me, in Cambodia, embracing the #nomakeup lifestyle even before I knew that there was such a thing.

The whole time we’ve been in Cambodia I have thrown my hair in a pony 

tail and not put on any makeup (I do wear makeup on Sundays).  I first 

started going without makeup when we rented our Moto’s because I found 

that the second I started riding around town I would get a thick layer of 

dirt stuck to my face (I still get the dirt but it doesn’t stick to my makeup-less 

face as much).  I also figured that after the first 10 minutes the sweat from 

the heat and wind had removed 98% of the makeup anyway, so why bother.

  

One hard part is that after everyone gets used to what you look like 

without makeup its kind of a shock for them when you do actually have 

makeup on (like when I wear my wigs, everyone is always so surprised 

at how wonderful my hair looks and goes on and on about how nice 

I look). After my wigs I have a hard time letting them see me with 

my own hair since we all love my “wig” look better than my natural hair!

1st day in Cambodia after a shower and makeup.

For the same reason I wear my wigs is why I wear makeup ~ it gives me confidence and makes me feel good about myself (and yes, it is soooooo easy to throw on a wig and in the winter months it keeps my head warm ~ teehee). I don’t know why it gives me confidence, I'm not worried about my wrinkles and I can't change those or that deep scowl crease between my eyebrows but when I have showered, when I feel like I am at the weight I want to be at, when I have a good hair day and when my makeup looks good I just feel good about myself. It is kind of weird because being here, all the sweet Khmer people don’t know me with makeup or good hair or even if I've showered but they love me all the same and I don't have to be anyone else besides who I am with or without makeup.  But outside of Cambodia I am not so confident, I know the only person any of this should matter to is me, but it does matter to me so I will do what I can to enhance all that I've been blessed with.  So, for this reason, I will probably never be able to completely embrace 

the #nomakeup lifestyle but BOOYAH to those that do!

One last side note: It is interesting that when you look at all the celebrities, it's like there is this crazy bar that is set for American Women as to what we should look like.  I love the "with and without" makeup pictures of celebrities because they just look normal! Most of them are still beautiful because they started out beautiful inside! I was really saddened the other day when I clicked onto a site where they said "Celebrity's who have gone downhill as they aged" (yes, I was curious) ~ GOOD GRIEF ~ they didn't go "downhill" they just AGED. Sometimes the elderly just don't get the respect that they deserve (I say this now because I am becoming one of those "elderly" :)  I do feel that I get treated better when I look better.  Is this a concise idea in my own head?  Maybe so but it goes with me wherever I go!